MGM Mirage CityCenter - Crystals, Las Vegas, United States

Crystal clear

Why is an architectural blog reporting on Daniel Libeskind? His work is more suited to an article in Circus Weekly.

19/10/10
April Tan, Boisie

Libeskind's milking this 'crystal' thing to death. Talk aboput getting mileage out of a terrible idea to begin with ..... He must have the worst staff out there, a bunch of drones cutting and pasting from Chamberworks and fooling themselves that this is an architectural design.

Located in the heart of Las Vegas Boulevard, Crystals is the 500,000-square-foot retail and entertainment space, which is the connective centre of the MGM Mirage CityCenter project. Opened in 2009, CityCenter is a vertical city within a city which includes 2,400 private residences, two boutique hotels, and a 61-storey resort casino.

The crystalline and metal-clad façade signals to visitors well in advance of arrival that Crystals is not a traditional retail environment. An entryway into the retail area from the Strip draws pedestrians into the public arcade, covered by a spiraling roof structure. From the interior, the roof’s dramatic angles and skylights become a backdrop for the luxury retail and dining it houses, which includes Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co. and Bulgari, as well as concept restaurants from Wolfgang Puck and Todd English.

The public spaces allow for a variety of urban experiences: a water feature at the entry, cafes and a grand staircase leading to Casino Square at the end of the arcade, animating the entire space. The design and construction of Crystals employs the most environmentally conscious practices and materials. In November 2009 it was announced that Crystals achieved LEED® Gold Core & Shell certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), making it the world’s largest retail district to receive this level of recognition.